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Shadow World #4
Stormriders
Swept into the perilous, magical world of Kulthea, the Shadow World, by a mysterious storm that rips through their house, Brion competes with his treacherous wife, Kella, for the safe return of their missing son. Original.
- GenresFantasy
312 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1996
24 people want to read
About the author
Ian Hammell
4 books53 followersA pseudonym of Roxanne Longstreet Conrad.
She has also published as:
Rachel Caine
Roxanne Longstreet
Roxanne Conrad
Julie Fortune
She has also published as:
Rachel Caine
Roxanne Longstreet
Roxanne Conrad
Julie Fortune
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 16, 2013
"Person(s) from our world* who falls into a fantasy world" is a well-worn genre device, but those sorts of stories usually feature that character as protagonist or "chosen one" or some other linchpin. Here, Kella, Brion, and Evan are little more than baggage for the natives--heroes and/or villains--to lug around. Especially when the unfolding crisis doesn't involve these visitors.
As it was, the book felt overstuffed with characters and plot threads and the Kandris family didn't serve enough of a function to justify their existence. There are themes about the opposite-duality of Brion and Kella, where Kella falls into a demented codependent love/hate relationship with a vastly evil and destructive being. This was interesting and well drawn, but could have been done without having to import a character from another universe, and probably deserves to be the center of a story instead of just one more element, as it is here.
The story never seems to have a great deal of focus. In addition to Kella and Brion trying to locate their son, there's an overarching plot about destabilizing a kingdom as well as a major subplot about losing a potent magical device. And then Evan is off having his own adventures (partially related) during all this. It has a shaggy-dog quality that you'd expect from real life as the villains regroup and the protagonists reshuffle their priorities, but this lends itself to more sophisticated storytelling than may be warranted. I personally wanted the author to pick a plot line and stick with it.
[* Except that for some reason the Kandris family aren't from our world. Various revealed details indicate that they came from some undefined science-fictiony place with 'slideways' and 'house shields'. These facts don't figure into the story, so I'm not sure why the author decided they were necessary.]
As it was, the book felt overstuffed with characters and plot threads and the Kandris family didn't serve enough of a function to justify their existence. There are themes about the opposite-duality of Brion and Kella, where Kella falls into a demented codependent love/hate relationship with a vastly evil and destructive being. This was interesting and well drawn, but could have been done without having to import a character from another universe, and probably deserves to be the center of a story instead of just one more element, as it is here.
The story never seems to have a great deal of focus. In addition to Kella and Brion trying to locate their son, there's an overarching plot about destabilizing a kingdom as well as a major subplot about losing a potent magical device. And then Evan is off having his own adventures (partially related) during all this. It has a shaggy-dog quality that you'd expect from real life as the villains regroup and the protagonists reshuffle their priorities, but this lends itself to more sophisticated storytelling than may be warranted. I personally wanted the author to pick a plot line and stick with it.
[* Except that for some reason the Kandris family aren't from our world. Various revealed details indicate that they came from some undefined science-fictiony place with 'slideways' and 'house shields'. These facts don't figure into the story, so I'm not sure why the author decided they were necessary.]
Displaying 1 of 1 review